INDIANAPOLIS—Victor Cruz was covered Monday. Not by the Patriots, but by the media.

Surrounded by a crush of cameras and reporters during a Super Bowl XLVI press conference, Cruz could not escape. However, it’s far more difficult to contain Cruz and running mate Hakeem Nicks once they take the field.

Cruz and Nicks were the NFL’s most productive wide receiver duo this season, Cruz with 82 catches for 1,536 yards, and Nicks with 76 catches for 1,192 yards. Nicks has simply been the best wide receiver in the playoffs with 18 catches, 335 yards and four touchdowns in the Giants’ three victories.

Nobody has to tell the Patriots how dangerous Cruz and Nicks are.

"They’ve made a lot of explosive plays this postseason, so they’ll be a great challenge for us," said Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo.

"A player like that (Cruz), you can just hope to contain him and minimize his plays, but he’s got to make his plays," said Patriots wide receiver Matt Slater. "He’s that good."

The Giants believe Cruz and Nicks can punish the Patriots’ secondary on Sunday. Why wouldn’t they? The Patriots gave up more passing yards than any team in the AFC.

Eli Manning must be licking his chops. Ditto for Cruz and Nicks. When the Giants defeated the Patriots, 24-20, on Dec. 9, Nicks was injured and did not play, but Cruz still had six catches for 91 yards. With Nicks, Cruz, and third receiver Mario Manningham all expected to play Sunday, the Giants hope they have too many quality receivers for the Patriots to handle, especially if wide receiver-defensive back Julian Edelman is matched against Cruz.

"Anytime you look at a defense and you see receiver playing defensive back, you automatically open your eyes and you want to exploit those matchups," Cruz said. "It should be an interesting time to see how they do and see how they play us. Anytime I line up against anybody, doesn’t matter who it is, I think I have a good shot to do some things."

The Super Bowl will feature two elite slot receivers -- Cruz and Wes Welker of the Patriots. When he was learning to play the slot, Cruz studied tape of Welker, who has been impressed by Cruz’s rapid rise to stardom.

"He (Cruz) does a really good job of getting in and out of his breaks, kind of setting up his routes," Welker said. "That’s what you have to do. You have to make all of your routes kind of look the same. He does a great job of that."

Nicks' return to the lineup has made the Giants even more difficult to defend. After beating the Patriots without Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw in November, the Giants like their chances with those two back in the lineup.

"You are always going to have more confidence when you have all your guns," said running back Brandon Jacobs. "We were missing two talented guys who were big parts of our offense. It definitely gives myself and our football team more confidence going into this one."

When Nicks gets his hands on the football, he rarely drops it. He made one of the signature plays of the postseason, soaring high into the air to snag a Hail Mary touchdown pass from Manning just before halftime against the Packers.

Nicks did not practice last week, aggravating a previous shoulder injury after landing on it during the NFC championship. However, Nicks said Friday his shoulder was improving, and nobody expected the injury to keep him out of the Super Bowl.

"The shoulder is getting better, getting better day to day, still a little sore," Nicks said. "Throughout the day it loosens up a little bit. I landed right on the AC joint that I injured a few times this season. By halftime, I was cool."

Containing the Giants in the Super Bowl would be the perfect way for the Patriots’ maligned secondary to gain respect.

"I think the biggest thing is like coach (Bill Belichick) tells us. 'The past won’t matter,'" said Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty. "When we take the field on Sunday, how we played two weeks ago against Baltimore won’t help us play. How we played against the Giants the first time won’t help us play. We have to string it together in practice, have some good days and they come out and execute on Sunday."

However, producing in clutch situations has become routine for Cruz and Nicks. They are a major reason why the Giants reached the Super Bowl. For the Patriots, Cruz and Nicks could be a major headache.